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Greater Good Live

Is Happiness the Right Goal?

March 2012 | TRT 11:25

I was recently challenged on the Laura Ingraham Show with the question of whether or not it is good for our society, or even for our children themselves, for parents to pursue happiness. Listen to this podcast for my response!

An interesting podcast! I think one of the keywords to illustrate the right meaning of this ‘happiness goal’ is to add *lasting* as a qualification (which also distinguishes it from instant gratification). Because of this focus on the long-term, it brings back the importance of the ‘happiness being a skill’ idea as well as answer some of the confusion stemming from the ‘wrong happiness’ view, as well explained with the example of the father letting his 2 years old watch as much TV as he wants, as given in the show…

Interesting. I don’t think that happiness is a “thing in in itself,” but rather the derivative experience of beng able to cope with the normal life tasks both children and adults have to confront in life. Among those are coping with oneself, coping with others, coping with our past, and coping with God (spirituality). Teaching children to develop the personality traits needed for effective coping will go a long way to helping them acheive ongoing happiness. In addition, negative experiences can be the necessary incentives to learn and grow.

An interesting podcast! I think one of the keywords to
illustrate the right meaning of this ‘happiness goal’ is
to add *lasting* as a qualification (which also
distinguishes it from instant gratification). Because
of this focus on the long-term, it brings back the
importance of the ‘happiness being a skill’ idea as
well as answer some of the confusion stemming from
the ‘wrong happiness’ view, as well explained with
the example of the father letting his 2 years old
watch as much TV as he wants, as given in the show…